Hundreds of Sussex County residents filled downtown Georgetown on Monday night for the 29th annual Caroling on The Circle event.

The carolers helped contribute to the 26,000 canned goods and other non-perishable food items Sussex County government has collected for the less fortunate this month.

The county’s food drive will continue through the end of December in the hopes of surpassing last year’s total of 29,000 donated food items. Collected items will be donated to about a dozen food pantries, shelters and church organizations for distributing in Sussex County.

Also during Monday’s event, Georgetown Mayor Mike Wyatt introduced Donna Koskey as the town’s 2012 Volunteer of the Year.

In her first official duty, Koskey threw the switch that lit the Christmas tree on The Circle.